Plans are being drawn up in Thailand for the revival of a project to build a new coastal highway in the south of the country. The project would deliver a 365km extension to the existing Thailand Riviera Coast Road.
A study for the project will be prepared in 2027 for the country’s Transport Ministry. The road would be extended from Chumphon where it ends at present to Surat Thani, Nakhon Si Thammarat and Songkhla. Completion of the route would help boost tourism for South Thailand, a major benefit for the country’s economy.
Also known as the Southern Coastal Road, the project was approved initially in 2006 and 515km of the route was built at a cost of $978 million, linking Phetchaburi with Chumphon. However, the new proposals are for a further three sections of 150km, 200km and 85km. This would bring the total distance for the Thailand Riviera Coastal Highway to 880km, connecting Patchaburi through Chumphon where it stops at present, all the way to Songkhla in the South of the country.
Maintenance of the existing route linking Phetchaburi and Chumphon has been carried out by the Department of Rural Roads, but no further construction was carried out to extend the route. Thailand’s Transport Ministry is now looking to evaluate the planned cost of building the remaining 365km of the route.
